Forming press



July 27, 1943.

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C. W. GOODWIN ETAL FORMING PRESS Filed April 26, 1941 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS (arl iizfioadwzn lfara/d Mar/1'11,

RNEY

c. w. GOODWIN ET AL FORMING PRESS July 27, 1943.

Filed April 26, 1941 7 Sheets-$11691. 5

INVENTORS. Carl fiaoduun v flamki Mar/ in Patented July 27, 1943 2,325,161 1 FORMING muss Carl W. Goodwin,

Plainfield, N. J and Harold W. Martin, Malverne, N. Y.,

assignors to American Seal-Kap Corporation of Delaware, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application April 26, 1941,

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to hood caps, and to a process and apparatus for making and stacking the same.

One object of the present invention is to provide a hood cap having new and improved characteristics.

Another object is to provide a new and improved hood cap of the general type referred to, which may be readily and effectively sealed onto a container such as a milk bottle.

Another object is to provide a new and improved hood cap having a skirt, which is creased, shaped and constructed to permit its easy, neat and effective shaping and sealing over the head of a bottle.

Another object is to provide a new and improved creasing and forming die for the skirtportion of the cap.

Another object is to provide a newand improved mechanism for shaping and forming hood caps from flat disc blanks.

Another object is to provide a new and improved mechanism for feeding and seating a reinforcing disc onto the reentrant or depressed diaphragm of a flexible preformed ,cap.

Another object is to provide a new and improved mechanism for locking a reinforcing disc in seating position onto the depressed diaphragm of a preformed cap.

Another object is to provide a new and improved means for stacking the preformed caps.

Another object is to provide means whereby disc locking and cap stacking operations are performed simultaneously at the same station.

Another object is to provide a new and improved method for making a flexible hood skirted cap.

Various other objects and invention will be apparent the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan View of a hood cap forming press embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the cap forming mechanism of the machine shown in Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3.3 of Fig. 1, showing the cap forming die in initial position before shaping the blank.

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the cap forming die just before the start of the shaping operation.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to that of Fig. 3,

Serial No. 390,468

showing the cap forming die at a later stage'in the shaping operation.

Fig. 6 is a section'similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the forming die at the end of the shaping operation.

Fig. 7 is a vertical fragmentary section of the forming die, taken on a radial plane different from that of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the upper corrugation ring, which forms the pouring lip housing of the cap.

Fig. 9 is a in the upper Fig. 10 is creasing ring.

Fig. 11 is a perspective of the lower skirt creasmg ring.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary top plan view on an enlarged scale of the lower creasing ring.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary bottom plan view on perspective of the wiper for the slots corrugation ring.

a perspective of the upper skirt I8l8 of Fig. 17.

.Fig. 19 is a side elevation of the hood cap shown in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19a is a side elevationof the hood cap, with parts broken away to show the vent grooves.

Figs. 21, 22 2l 2i, 22 22 anism in the process of locking the disc in position in the cap, and

Fig. 26 is a horizontal section of the stacking mechanism taken on line 26-26 of Fig. 24.

Referring to the drawings, the preformed hood cap in (Figs. 17 to 19a) is made from a disc blank I I (Figs. 3 and 4) of suitable flexible material such as paper, having form sustaining rigidity to perand shaped to provide a depressed central bore closing diaphragm l2 (Fig. 17) adapted to enter snugly into the mouth of a bottle, such as the conventional milk bottle, and to seat on an internal ledge thereof, an annular pouring lip housing i3 of channel shaped cross-section, adapted to extend over the pouring lip of the bottle, and an outwardly extending fluted skirt l4, adapted to be contracted around the beaded lip of the bottle, and separated from said housing by an annular sharp crease line l5 along which said skirt is bent.

The pouring lip housing t3 has a pair of parallel side walls ill and I8, and a top wall 20, bridging said side walls, and formed with raised radial ribs or corrugations 2| serving as reinforcements for said top wall. The inner side housing wall is provided with a series of vent grooves W, to permit venting of the bottle in response to expansion of the contents thereof. The two side walls i1 and I8 may be skived to iron or smooth out any irregularities in the surfaces thereof.

The skirt M is creased sharply along substantially radial lines 23 and 24, and bluntly along lines 25 and 2B, and is offset along these lines to form alternate ridges 21, and furrows 28. Each adjoining pair of crease lines 23 and 25 define therebetween a flat triangular ridge top 29, with its apex near the annular crease line l5, and each adjoining pair of crease lines 24 and 26 define therebetween a flat triangular furrow base 30 with its apex near said annular crease line l5. These triangular skirt sections 29 and 3|! extend substantially at right angles to the axis of the cap.

The side 3? of each ridge 2'1 extends steeply downwardly between adjoining pairs of sharp crease lines 23 and 2 1, while the other side 32 extends downwardly with a lesser slope towards the triangular base 3|], to meet the respective blunt fold line 29. The lower crease line 24 is offset at its radially inner end 24a to meet the upper crease line 23, so that the ridge sides 3| between lines 23, 24 and 24a in conjunction with the ridge top section 29 constitute the surplus pleat forming material of the skirt when contracted and pressed over a bottle head.

Enter the cap is made into the shape shown in Figs. 1'7 to 19a, its skirt M is partially contracted along the crease lines 23, 24 and 240., as shown in Figs. 24 and 25, to permit nesting and stacking of the caps. This partially contracted cap is then finally contracted over the bottle head to form substantially ,triangular overlapping pleats diverging from the housing l3. The overlapping layers of these pleats may be secured together by a suitable adhesive.

The partial contraction of the cap is effected by forcing said cap, while in the shape shown in Figs. 1'? to 19a, through a tubular member with a flaring mouth opening, as will be fully described hereinafter. During this forcing action, the skirtsliding over the flaring surface of the opening is partially contracted. In order to present a bearing surface of substantial area on the skirt to effectively withstand the contracting force, the top skirt portions 29 are fiat and extend substantially at right angles to the axis of the cap. Furthermore, these skirt portions 29 are compressed to stiffen the material of said portions, so that they can be effectively and easily subjected to bearing action without undesirable distortion of the cap.

The bottom skirt portions 30 are also flat, and extend at right angles to the axis of the cap to afford a bearing surface of substantial area when the partially contracted cap is finally secured to the bottle head during capping operations. These feed station 46,

skirt portions 30 are furthermore compressed to stifien the material thereof, so that they will be more effective as bearing surfaces during this capping action.

The skirt portions 3| are also compressed or skived to render the material thereof rigid, so that these portions do not buckle during the partial, contracting operation described, and the skirt will fold very neatly along their predetermined crease lines 23, 24 and 24a.

The skiving or compressing of the portions 29, 30 and 3| also reduces their thickness, so that when they overlap, the aggregate thickness of the pleat layers is somewhat reduced. This compressing of the skirt portions 29, 30 and 3| also serves to form the blunt fold lines 25 and 26, and the alternate ridge 2'! and furrows 28.

In order to prevent bunching of the surplus material of the contracted skirt l4 around the apices of the pleats, said skirt is skived or pressed at triangular sections 33 near said apices as shown in Fig. 17, to reduce the thickness of said sections. This skiving at the sections 33 also accentuates the crease lines 240., and thereby facilitates the folding of the skirt into pleats when said skirt is contracted.

The cap skirt I4 is also bent bluntly along lines 34 extending from the radial inner end of each crease line 23, diagonally towards the side 3| of the adjacent ridge 21, to ease the contracting movement of the skirt along its predetermined crease lines during capping operations.

The cap l0 may be coated in whole or in part with a suitable adhesive such as a thermoplastic adhesive or a solvent softening adhesive. This adhesive is preferably applied to the disc blank before the capping operation, but may be applied after the cap has been preformed into the shape described.

.A disc 35, as shown in Figs. 24 to 26, is seated on the diaphragm l2 to carry the necessary printing, to'reinforce said diaphragm, and to exert sealing pressure against the internal wall of the bottle. This disc 35 is locked in position by inward projections 36, indented from the inner housing wall I1, and overlying said disc.

The machine for making the preformed caps above described comprises a fixed dial bed 40, and a dial plate 4|, seated on said dial bed, and having a series of circularly arranged holes 42 for receiving cap blanks H and moving them successively, step by step from one operating station to the next. This step-by-step rotation of the dial plate 4| may be effected by any suitable means well known in the art, for example from a shaft 43, secured to said dial plate as shown in Fig. 2.

The cap blanks H are fed successively into respective dial plate holes 42 by suitable means (not shown) as the dial plate 4| is rotated past a blank feed station, and are advanced thereby to a forming station 45, where said blanks are shaped into the form described. The shaped cap is then advanced by the dial plate 4| to a disc where the reinforcing disc 35 is fed and seated onto the cap diaphragm l2. Finally the cap with the attached disc 35 is advanced by the dial plate 4|' to a stacking and disc locking station 41, where the disc 35 is permanently secured in the cap and the completed caps are stacked preparatory to their removal from the machine.

Cap forming mechanism The cap forming mechanism, at the station 45 side walls 60 and 6| (Figs. 3 to 16) comprises an upper thrust ram 50, vertically reciprocated by suitable power means (not shown) towards and away from a fixed press bed 5|. Threaded or otherwise secured to this press bed 5| is a lower corrugation ring 52, having a central bore 53 for slidably receiving a lower diaphragm plunger 54, which is urged axially upwardly by a central coil spring 55 seated in bores 54a and 5|a in the plunger 58 and the bed 5| respectively.

Annular facing shoulders 56 and 51 on plunger 54 and the corrugation ring 52 respectively, limit upward movement of said plunger in position shown in Fig. 3, while the downward movement is limited by the top surface 58 of the press bed 5| .The corrugation ring 52 is provided with an annular boss 59 having vertical inner and outer respectively, and to top wall 62. The top wall 62 carries a series of narrow radial ribs 63, while the inner wall 68 carries spaced ribs 60a. extending lengthwise thereof to form the vent grooves IS on the cap housing wall IT.

The corrugation ring 52 slidably carries a lower skirt creasing ring 64, and is provided with an upwardly facing annular shoulder 65 which limits the downward movement of said creasing ring 64. The corrugation ring 52 is also provided with a bevelled surface 66 between the outer vertical wall 6| and the inner periphery of the creasing ring 64, for the purpose to be described.

The lower creasing ring 64 is urged upwardly by a series of coil springs 61 seated in bores 64a and 52a in the creasing ring 68 and the corrugation ring 52 respectively. The upward movement of the creasing ring 66 is guided by a plurality of studs 68, threaded into the creasing ring 64, and slidable in holes 68a in the corrugation ring 52. The studs 68 are provided with heads 68b, slidable in recesses 10 in the corrugation ring 52, the ends of which form stops for limiting the upward spring actuated movement of the creasing ring 64.

The ram 50, shown in the form of a cylinder, has a central bore 15, in which is slidably fitted a piston 16, urged into downward limiting position against a shoulder 11 of the ram 58 by,a strong coil spring 18. The ram 50 has a central bore 79 extending downwardly from the bore 75. In the bore 19 is slidably mounted a sleeve 86 having its upper end engaging the piston 16, and its lower end attached by a pin 85a 'to an upper diaphragm plunger 85. The sleeve 80 is provided with a peripheral groove 80a, into which extend a plurality of stops, shown as screws 8% threaded in the ram 58.

An upper corrugation ring 8| is threaded or otherwise secured to the ram 58, and is provided with a flange 82 having a curved lower surface 82a suited to form the top of the pouring lip housing of the cap, and having a set of radial grooves 83 (see Figs. 8 and 9) cooperating with the ribs 63 of the lower corrugation ring 52 to form the ribs 2| on the pouring lip housing of the cap.

In order to maintain the rib forming grooves 83 free from lint or other foreign matter, the diaphragm plunger 85 is provided with radial spokes 86, which slide vertically in said grooves 83 during the reciprocation of said plunger in the bore 79 of the ram 50.

Slidably mounted over the flange 82 of the upper corrugation ring 8| is an upper skirt creasing ring 81, cooperating with the lower creasing ring 64 to form the cap skirt, and urged downwardly by a series of coil springs 88 (Fig. 7), which are seated in bores 8|a and 81a. in the corrugation ring 8| and the creasing ring 81 respectively. The downward movement of the upper creasing ring 87 is limited by a plurality of studs 9|, threaded in said ring, and slidably mounted in holes 92a in the upper corrugation ring 8i. The studs 9| are provided with heads 9|a sliding in recesses 92 in the upper corrugation ring 8| to limit the downward movement of the upper creasing ring 81. a

A" plurality of plungers 93 are slidable in chambers 95 of the upper corrugation ring 8|. These plungers 93 are urged downwardly by springs 96 seated on flanges 94 of said plungers, which also serve as stops to retain the same in position. These plungers 93 serve to exert an extra downward force on the upper creasing ring 8'! near the end of the shaping operation, to thereby assist the skiving or pressing of certain skirt sections of the cap, as will be hereinafter explained.

For stripping the shaped cap from the lower face of the upper diaphragm plunger 85, there is provided an ejector plunger I00, which is axially slidable in a central bore 85b in the diaphragm plunger 85, and which is urged downwardly by a coil spring |8l, seated in the sleeve between a flange I02 of said ejector plunger and the piston 16. The plunger I00 is provided with an axial flange 10a which abuts against the piston 16 to limit the movement of the plunger.

For stripping the shaped cap from the face of the ejector plunger I08, an ejector pin I03 is slidably mounted in a bore "18b in the plunger I00 and is urged downwardly by a coil spring I84, seated in said bore between a flange Hi5 of said pin and the piston 16.

The lower skirt creasing ring 6 8 shown more fully in Figs. 11, 12 and 14 to 16 is provided with a series of circumferentially arranged teeth H8 with downwardly flaring flanks III and I I2. Each tooth H is formed with a flat triangular extends obliquely downwardly at a lesser angle.

The base 7 of each interdental groove or space 8 between the adjacent teeth H0 is formed fiat and parallel to the tooth crown H3, and substantially rhomboidal in shape.

The upper skirt creasing ring 81 shown more fully in 10 and 13 to 16, is formed with a series of circumferentially arranged spaced |2|, having upwardly flaring flanks |22 and I23. Each tooth |2| is formed with a flat triangular crown |24i, lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the ring 87, with the apex of said crown spaced radially outwardly from the inner periphery |25 of said ring, and one edge I26 of said tooth crown extending substantially radially of the ring. The section |2l of the ring 81, between the crown apex and the inner ring periphery |25, is bevelled and of triangular shape for skiving or pressing the triangular cap sections 33, as will be more fully described.

The side |22 of each tooth |2| extends steeply upwardly towards the base I28 of the corresponding interdental groove or space I29, while the other side I23 extends obliquely upwardly with a lesser slope. This groove base I28 is formed flat and parallel to the tooth crown I24 and substantially rhomboidal in shape.

The two creasing rings 64 and 81 are circumferentially arranged, so that during the shaping operations when the two rings are relatively moved axially into skirt shaping mesh, the teeth |2| oi the upper ring will extend into respective interdental spaces 8 of the lower ring 64, while the teeth of the lower ring will extend into respective interdental spaces I29 of the upper ring. During this relative shaping movement of the creasing rings-64 and 81, the steep side III of each lower tooth ||0 moves relatively close to the steep side I22 of the upper correspondin tooth |2| to skive the portion of the capblank between said sides, and thereby form the steep thinned sides 3I (Figs. 17 to 19) of the skirt ridges. At the same time the flat triangular crown N3 of the lower creasing ring 64 moves relatively against the flat substantially rhomboidal base I26 of the groove I29 of the upper ring 01 to press the cap blank between said crown and said base and thereby press and thin out said blank over the triangular crown sections 29. In this shaping position of the creasing rings 64 and 81, the flat triangular crown I24 0! the upper ring tooth |2| will be pressing against the flat rhomboidal base I II of the lower interdental groove I I8, and will thereby compress the cap blank to form the thin, highly compressed triangular base section 30 of the cap skirt. At the same time the blank will be sharply creased to form the sharp crease lines 23 and 24 of the cap, while the triangular bevelled tooth sections |2'I of the upper ring 81 pressing against the bevelled surface 66 of the lower corrugation ring 52 forms the skived or compressed triangular cap sections 33, and also the crease lines 24a.

It is seen that the skirt portion of the cap blank is pressed only at those sections where the sharp crease lines 23, 24 and 24a, and the triangular skived sections 29, 30 and 3| are formed.

Operation of forming mechanism In the operation of the forming mechanism, the dial plate 4| stops intermittently in position to seat a cap blank II on the lower diaphragm plunger 54 and on the lower rings 52 and 64, while the ram 50 is in elevated position as shown in Fig. 3. The ram 50 is then moved downwardly to first cause retraction of the ejector pin I03 upwardly and inwardly into the downwardly moving ejector plunger I00, and then subsequent retraction of said plunger I00 upwardly and inwardly into the downwardly moving sleeve 80, until these plungers 85 and I00 are stopped by the piston I6 and seat with their lower surfaces flush on the cap blank I I, as shown in Fig. 4.

During this downward movement of the ram 50, the upper skirt creasing ring 81 is carried downwardly until it engages the cap blank II. The continued downward movement of the ram 50 causes entry of the upper diaphragm plunger 85 into the bore 53 of the lower corrugation ring 52 against the pressure of the yielding spring-pressed lower daphragm plunger 54 until the plunger 54 seats on the base thereby depressing the blank II to form the reentrant diaphragm I2. At the same time the upper corrugation ring 8|, pressing against the lower corrugation ring 52, shapes the ribbed pouring lip housing I3 of the cap, and the upper creasing ring 81 pressing against the lower creasing ring 64 moves said ring 64 downwardly and shapes the flutings on the cap skirt.

During this operation, the inner periphery I25 of the upper creasing ring 81, moving opposite and close to the outer cylindrical periphery 6| of the boss 59 of the lower corrugation ring 52, skives the portion of the cap blank between said surfaces to form the skived outer wall I8 of the cap housing I3.

When the lower diaphragm plunger 54 reaches its lowermost limiting position shown in Fig. 5, the lower skirt creasing ring 64 is still above its lowermost limiting position. The downward movement of the ram 50 is continued after the lower diaphragm plunger 54 reaches its limiting position, this continued movement of the ram causing the piston I6 to be moved upwardly against the action of the spring I8, whereby relative movement between the upper diaphragm plunger 85 and the ram 50 is permitted. Continued downward movement of the ram 50 then imparts a final downward pressure movement to the creasing ring 81 aided by the spring-pressed pins or plungers 93, which come into action at this phase to effect the finalskiving and pressing operations on the skirt.

After the shaping operation has been completed, the ram 50 is moved upwardly until the bottom 11 of the bore I5 reaches the piston I6.

The upper diaphragm plunger then moves with the ram 50, and thereby permits the lower diaphragm plunger 54 to move upwardly under the action of the spring 55, and to eject the shaped cap from the bore 53 of the lower corrugation ring 52. As the upward movement of the ram 50 is continued, the ejector plunger I00 projects downwardly beyond the lower face of the upper diaphragm plunger 85 under the action of the coil spring IOI, to strip the shaped cap from said face, and the ejector pin I03 projects downwardly beyond the lower face of said ejector plunger under the action of the coil spring I04 to strip said cap from said latter face.

Disc feed mechanism After the cap has been shaped into the form shown in Figs..,l7 to 19 and ejected as described, the dial plate 4| is rotated to move said cap to the disc feed station 46. The dial plate holes 42 are large enough to snugly receive the cap blanks II, but after the shaping operation described, the diameter of the shaped cap will be such less than that of the blank, so that said shaped cap gilll have a great deal of play in its dial plate In order to properly center the shaped cap with respect to the disc feeding mechanism, there is provided a brush I35 (Figs. 1, 2 and 20), supported in a fixed inclined position by any suitable means, shown as a bracket I36, and acting over the surface of the rotating dial plate 4| to brush and hold the cap into eccentric tangential contact with one side of the dial plate hole 42, so that when said dial plate 4| stops for the next operation, said cap will be properly positioned with respect to said disc feed mechanism.

The disc feeding mechanism shown in Figs. 20 to 23 comprises a vertical magazine tube I38, having a slot I40 extending lengthwise thereof, and wide enough to permit the entry of the operators" fingers therethrough when placing a stack of discs 35 in said tube. Alongside of the magazine I38 is a disc seating plunger I4'I, disposed in alignment with the cap as positionedby the brush I 35; and slidable in a stationary bracket I42. The lower end of the plunger I is provided with ahead I45 of. substantially the same diameter as the disc 35. The upper end or the plunger I4I has secured thereto ahead I 44; which is slidable in a housing I45, a contact rod I45 being threaded or otherwise secured to the plunger HI and extending upwardly through the housing I45. A1 coil spring I49, seated b e-' tween the bracket I42, andthe head I44, urges the disc'seating plunger I4I upwardly out of the path of reciprocating movement of a feed" plate I55 to be described. Y

The upper end of the rod I45 projecting upwardly beyond the upper end of housing I45, carries 'a contact disc I45a. In the absence of a disc at the disc feeding station, the rod I45 will descend to a position in which the contact disc l45a'will open a switch (not shown) to shut oi! the drive motor (not shown) down the machine. I

The housing I45'is secured by collars I15aand H82! and set screws I48 to a yoke I41, fixed to the ram 55 forreciprocation; therewith. A sleeve I5II sliding in the housing I45 loosely'embraces the rod I45, The sleeve I 55 carries a spring I52 seated between the top wall of the housing I45 and a head I53 formed at the lower end of said sleeve. A nut I5I isshown as threaded onto the projecting end of the sleeve I50 to' limit thedownward movement thereof.

For feeding the discs 35 successively from the magazine I38 to the line of movement of the plunger I, there is provided a feed plate I55 which is slidable underneath-the lower discharge end of said magazine, and-which is secured for that purpose to aslide I55-rnovable along a guide I51. This feed plate I55 has a forward depressed disc supporting section I58 substantially coextensive with a disci35 and depressed by at least the thickness 01" a disc 35, to'form a circular shoulder I52; suited to engage theedge of a disc 35. The shoulder I52 maybe bevelled rearwardly or undercut to'rrictionally'grip a disc as the feed plateI55is moved forwardly.

For reciprocating the slide I55 along its guide I51, there are provided a pair of opposed cranks I55, pivotally' supported at. I56 on stationary brackets I81, and having arms I58, which flank the slide I55 and are bifurcated to engage pins I on the sides of said slide.

The other arm I1.I of each crank I55 is pivotally connected by a pin I12 to the lower end of a rod I13, which is slidable in a vertical link I: The rod I13 is urged upwardly relative to the link I15 by a spring I15 engaging a head I14 carried by said-rod. A- pin I18 carried by the collar I18a extends through an elongated slot I11 in the link I15 to provide a sliding connection between the yoke I41 and the link I15.

A spring I80, fixed at one end to the guide I51, and at the other end to the slide I55,'urges said slide with its attached feed plate I55 to the left into disc receiving position under the magazine I38. Stops I8I on the brackets I51 are adapted to engage the crank arms I68 and I1.I to limit the movement thereof. At the end of the forward stroke of the feed plate I55. the disc 35issupported centrally underneath the plunger I4I. At the end of its rearward stroke, the disc supporting section I58 of the feed plate I55 will be shown in Fig. undern'eaththe and'thereby shut yieldably urged inwardly threaded 1n the bracket the yoke I41 ismoveddown'wardly V wardly, on the feed' movement the bottom disc from the stackin'said' magazine.

I55, there are provided aping fingers I85; pivota'lly the bracket: I42; and having circular gripping surfaces I81. These surfaces I81 coniorhi 'in'curvature with the curvature are adapted to engage the on the reed plate I55.

pair of oppos d ipwith'the opposed edges or the-disc 35'by1' means of springs I85 at one sideof the pivot points I551 seated in recesses I "of I42". Adjustable" screws] IOI," I42; provide stops' to" The springs I55 may be in the bracket limit the movement-o1 the fingers I55.

- Operational disc feed mechanism m the operation or the disc feeding-"mechanism', a" disc" 35 is" delivered intowhen the yoke I41 is in its upward" by the downward-movement'of'the ram 50; the housing I45 and sleeve I5II move downwardly until the head 5 I53 01" the sleeve "I engages the head I44'ot theplunger, I4I. ,Atthe"saine'time,\ thej downwarcl movement of the collar "8d I15 and causes pivotal movement oi' the' cranks I to thereby retract the slide I55'with the attached feed plate I55"- out or the plunger I41. The disc ifiwhich was iedfor' plate I55,= is retainedin position beneaththe plunger I4I by the lingers I85.

When the sleeve lfilreaches the upper end of the plunger m, the reed plate l55 s fully retracted. Continued downward movement of the housing I45 then-compresses the spring I52 and.-

by the force or said head I43 downwardly spring I45 to thereby wardiy from between engagement on the diaphragm I2 off the can It. During this continued downward novenient'ot the yoke I41 after the teed'plat'e I55 isi'ully retracted, thepms I18 slide downwardly inthe" slots III-oi the link l15 withoutcausingiurther' spring, nioves theplunger against the action "01" the push the disc "downl55 when 35 from the bottom of the stackin' the mega zine I38.

Upward movement of the yoke I41: first raises" the' path oi." the feed without causing further movement of the cranks The elongated slot I11 on the housing vides' a time interval between the. start of the upward movement of the yoke I41; and the start 01 the mo'vementot the feed plate I55 to the right (Fig. 20), to permit the plunger headI43 to be withdrawn upwardly out of the path of said feed plate. The clearance between the sleeve I50 and the plunger I4I provides a time interval between the start or the retracting movement or the feed plate I55 and the downward movement 01' the plunger I to allow'the feed directly underneath the magazine I 58? to 'receive" connected at I' 'to' of the. discs 35,. andside edges of the disc These angers" I85'are towards engagement" the position plunger I H position.

lowers the V the path of the ringers I55 into seating" or the'crank I55.. Tne'reed plate" thus retracted receivesthe next I55 to advance the plate to be withdrawn from the path of said plunger.

/ Stacker has been seated on the cap diaphragm l2, the dial plate ll is rotated to' advance said cap to the stacking station 1, where said disc is locked onto said diaphragm and the successive caps are stacked. This stacking mechanism shown more fully in Figs. 24 to 26 comprises a plunger 200, which is slidable in a sleeve 2! aiiixed to and depending from the dial bed Land which is operated in proper time sequence with the-step by step actuation of the dial plate II. This plunger is adapted to push the caps upwardly into a vertical magazine tube 202 supported over-the dial plate 4| in axial registry with said plunger. this plunger 200 is formed with an annular rim 203, registering with the channel defined by the pouring lip housing recess 2 in the top of the plunger for receiving the cap. ,This rim 203 is shown of V-shaped cross-section, with a bevelled annular surface 20! serving as a guide to center the diaphragm section l2 of the cap on the plunger plunger is moved upwa The plunger 200 is provided with a plurality After the disc of recesses 208, three being shown, extending axially thereof and receiving respective arms 201. Each arm is pivotally supported at 208 near its lower end in its respective recess 206,-and is formed at its upper end with a radially inwardly extending punch finger 208a, adapted to indent the innerjhousing wall ll of the cap just above the disc '35 to lock said disc in position. Each arm) is cammed into punching position by a roller 20!, supported in a recess 2H) in the upper section of the sleeve 20!, and is formed with a high cam section2l l adapted to ride along said roller during upward movement of the plunger 2M. @A'spring'2l2 in a recess 2" of .the plunger 2" bears against the respective arm 20! to urge it towards the roller 20!.

The magazine 202 is formed with a finger slot llljextending lengthwise thereof to permit removal of the stacked caps from said magazine, and is formedat its lower end with a mouthpiece' 2000 having a flared mouth opening 2l5, adapted to partially contract the cap skirts as they are pushed upwardly therethroughfso that the cap is partially folded along its crease lines This partial contraction of the cap skirt is desirable to facilitate nesting of the stacked caps, and also to facilitate subsequent bottle capping operations during which the skirt is contracted over the bottle head and the overlapping layers of the pleats sealed together.

The flared mouth opening 2l5 leads into a cylindrical opening 2" in the mouthpiece 2000. of larger diameter than the mouth opening and defining a ledge 2" on which the stacked caps rest when they reach a position upwardly beyond said ledge. The upper surface of the mouthpiece 200a also forms a port the caps in the magazine 202. The magazine is somewhat larger than the opening 2l8 so as to permitfree movement of the caps thereiii of the cap, and forming a 200 as said ledge 2001) to sup- The upperend of in, and to provide space for the skirts which tend .to spring back or unfold slightly from their contracted foldedposition in the opening 2l6.

Operation of stacker In the operation of the stacking device, as the plunger 200 moves upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 24 in propertime sequence with I4 is partially contracted; Due

"sections 2, rides on so that the punching fingers the operation of the dial plate ll, the cap diaphragm I2 is received in the central plunger recess 2M, and seated on the bottom of said rece. As the plunger continues its upward movement with the cap seated thereon as described, the cam sections 2 of the arms 201, riding over respective rollers 208, cause the punch fingers 208a to move radially inwardly against the inner housing wall I! of the cap as shown in Fig. 25. This causes indentation of this wall l1, and forms thereby inward projections 36 directly above the disc 35, so that said disc is locked in position. At the same time, the cap is forced through the flared opening 2 l5, so that the skirt to the shape of the skirt I4 and the creases therein as described, this partial contraction will cause the skirt to fold along its crease lines with the steep ridge side sections 3! of the cap folded inwardly at a reentrant angle, so that the tions of the skirt will be more definitely defined. is moved upwardly it pushes the stack above bottom cap reaches a position above the ledge 2H. The skirt then expands in the opening ill and seats on said ledge as the plunger is withdrawn. with the plunger in its upper position the lower part 'of the arms 2", below the cam the respective rollers 20!, 20M are retracted and the bottom cap is released. The return downward movement of the plunger 20' for the next disc locking andstacking operation can then be effected.

While certain novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the machine, process and product illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for shaping a hood cap from a disc blank of flexible form sustaining material, the combination comprising a pair of opposed, relatively axially movable rings for forming an annular channel-shaped pouring lip housing, one of said rings having an annular rim and a series of radial ribs on the crown surface thereof, the other ring having a series of radial slots of a width conforming to the width of said ribs, and registering therewith, and a member having a series of radial arms extending through the respective slots of said last ring, and relatively movable with respect thereto to prevent foreign material from lodging in said slots.

2. A machine for shaping a hood cap from a disc blank of flexible form sustaining material, comprising upper and lower relatively axially movable opposed plungers for depressing the central portion of said blank to form a reentrant diaphragm, upper and lower rings embracing housing'on said said lower ring lar channel-shaped pouring lip blank around said diaphragm, having a series of radial face thereof, said upper ring having a series of radial slots of a width conforming to the width of said ribs and registering therewith, said uphaving a series of radial arms extending through the respective slots in said upper ring to prevent foreign material from lodging in said slots during the cap shaping operation.

pleat forming secit upwardly until this,

ribs on the crown sur- Y shaping a hood cap from a form sustaining material, prising a pair of opposed members for shaping therebetween the transverse diaphragm section of the cap from said blank, one of said members comprising an axially movable plunger having a fiat transverse face with an axial bore therein, an ejector plunger slidable axially in said bore and having a fiat transverse face to register with said first face, spring-pressed means for urging said ejector plunger outwardly from the face of said first plunger to strip the cap from said plunger face when the diaphragm shaping operation has been completed, said ejector plunger having an axial bore, an ejector pin slidable in said last-mentioned bore, and springpressed means for moving said ejector pin out- In a machine for shaping a sldrted hood cap from. a disc blank of flexible form sustaining material, means for creasing and ofisetting a marginal skirt portion or" said blank to form a series of spaced ridges and furrows foldable into overlapping pleats when said skirt is contracted on a container, and means for compressing said marginal skirt portion at only the sections thereof forming the overlapping layers of said pleats, while leaving the other sections of said marginal skirt portion substantially uncompressed.

in a machine for shaping a hood cap 'from a disc blank or" flexible form sustaining material, a pair of opposed creasing dies, each having an annular series of spaced teeth with triangular crowns, the teeth of one die registering with the respective interdental spaces of the other die during the cap shaping operation to flute the marginal skirt portion of said blank, said trian gular crowns being arranged to compress the corresponding portions of the skirt to a reduced thickness,

6. in a machine. for shaping the marginal portion of a hood cap from a disc blank of flexible iorzn sustaining material, a pair of opposed creasing rings, each of said rings having an annular series of spaced teeth with their crowns of substantially triangular shape, the apices of said crowns being disposed near the inner peripheries of said rings and the sides of said teeth flaring outwardly from said crowns, the teeth of one ring registering with the respective interdental spaces of the other ring, the corresponding sides of the teeth of the two rings being in substantially parallel close relationship, whereby the disc blank. is fluted and is compressed between said sides and at the triangular sections between the crowns of the teeth of one ring and the bases of the interdental spaces of the other ring.

-7. In a machine for shaping the marginal portion of a, hood of the other ring with the steeper sides of the teeth-of the two rings in substantially parallel close relationship, whereby the disc blank is fluted and is compressed bematerial,

and said triangular bevelled sections.

9. In a machine for making caps from disc blanks, a forming station having means to preform said cap and to thereby reduce its diameter, a dial plate rotatable step by step, and having a hole adapted to receive a disc blank and advance the same to said forming station, and then to advance said preformed cap to a second station,

CARL W. GOODWDI. HAROLD W. MAR'IIN.

cap from 

